Multiple Legal Migrants Detained by ICE Amid Trump Blitz

In Washington state, we will do everything we can to protect our students, no matter their citizenship status."

Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal's guidance on protecting immigrant students

Kris Mayesarizona Attorney General

This is abhorrent behavior by this extreme right group at ASU. Every student should be able to feel safe on campus. It's appalling to see this division and hatred in our community. Dreamers in Arizona, know that I will never stop fighting to protect you."

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a post on X

We will be tabling on campus asking fellow students to report their criminal classmates to ICE for deportation,

a post from the student group on X read

If they are choosing not to abide by (the legal immigration process), and they're on campus taking the spot of a position where an American citizen should be there instead, that's obviously something that needs to be fixed. It's to get attention,

Rick Thomas, the founder of CRU and the treasurer of Republicans United LLC said ... Thomas said

Karoline Leavittwhite House press secretary

To foreign nationals who are thinking about trying to illegally enter the United States—think again. Under this president, you will be detained and you will be deported. Every day Americans are safer because of the violent criminals that President Trump's administration is removing from our communities."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing on Tuesday

I didn't even get a chance to speak to her before she was taken away. I was not aware that ICE was in the building looking for her until they had already taken her."

Patrick Callahan, who briefly served as an attorney for Zeneyda Barrera Hernandez, told the Portland Press Herald

We're now in 2025 and they still don't have a U visa, but they have what's called deferred action, which is very similar to DACA deferred action where you can work legally, you can live legally, you are not supposed to be in deportation ... You have legal status."

She continued

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual's identity as was the case during a targeted enforcement operation at a worksite today in Newark, New Jersey. This is an active investigation and, per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations."

An ICE spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement at the time

She's a young girl who's a student, who works, never been in any trouble before,

Callahan told the Press Herald

The issue with our U visas is Congress has mandated only 10,000 U visas be issued every year. But this family filed their U visa in 2018."

In a phone call to Newsweek, she said

The morale is extremely high right now that they're finally able to do their job; they're allowed to follow the law as it's written."

John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE field office director in Colorado, told Newsweek

ICE daily arrests have risen since Trump reentered the White House. Once ICE gets their feet under them after having not really enforced the law for the last four years, I think that the numbers will be better,

Fabbricatore, a Republican, said

He's done a lot of things right. I worked for Tom in the past; he used to be my boss. He's a cop's cop,

he said

This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP [Customs and Border Protection] and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens—including murders and rapists—who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense."

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman said in a statement

We're dealing with a gang that's a little bit more entrenched. But I think President Trump has an iron will, and he wants to make sure that this gang is rooted out, and we're going to do that,

Fabbricatore said

Absolutely, I think that they can because we're serious about enforcing the law now."

John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE field office director in Colorado and traveling fellow at the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, told Newsweek

We're serious about how we're going to treat these terrorist organizations and these gangs."

He added

They're looking to disrupt gang operations and possibly uncover terrorist plots,

he said

ICE works to remove undocumented noncitizens from the United States once they are subject to final orders of removal in a timely manner,

read a statement from the ICE

Doris Meissneramerican politician

The idea of one million to two million [deportations] a year is ... aspirational. It’s probably unrealistic, given the resources that are available to do it,

says Doris Meissner, a former commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, a predecessor agency to Ice, who is now at the Migration Policy Institute think-tank